The Chandrayaan-3 rover has covered a distance of 8 metres on the lunar surface and the two science experiments it was carrying have been switched on, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed on Friday evening. The rover is capable of travelling a total distance of 500 metres.

A two-segment foldable ramp on the lander helped the rover roll out with an attached cord. The cord was retracted after the rover touched down.As it was rolling out, a solar panel was also opened up allowing the rover to generate 50W power for its journey.

“All planned Rover movements have been verified. The Rover has successfully traversed a distance of about 8 meters,” the space agency updated.

All the data collected by the rover is sent over to the lander, which then communicates with the orbiter of the previous Chandrayaan mission. The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter then transmits the data to Earth. With this, all experiments have now been turned on for collecting data during the lunar day.

The space agency on Thursday said “India took a walk on the Moon!” after the rover had first rolled out of the lander module.

After a 17-minute descent phase went exactly as planned, the Chandrayaan-3 lander reached the lunar surface on Wednesday, making India the fourth country to achieve soft-landing on the Moon. India also became the first country to land near the South pole of the Moon.

There are two scientific experiments on the rover. The LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) will determine the chemical and mineral composition of the lunar surface. The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) will determine the composition of elements such as Magnesium, Aluminium, Silicon, Potassium, Calcium, Titanium, and Iron in the lunar soil and rocks.

(With inputs from agencies)